As a dual citizen of New Zealand and the United States, I have a decent amount of exposure to the definitions and usage of sublimity in both cultures. Somewhat unsurprisingly due to their shared ancestry and cultural orientations, both countries interpret their natural landscapes as spiritual, nation-defining concepts. In my opinion, New Zealand actually goes further than the United States, though this is in part due to the transculturality which characterizes European-Native relations in the country. To be more specific, New Zealanders of all stripes commonly refer to their country as Aotearoa, or “land of the long white cloud” in the native Maori tongue. Within the moniker lies a very specific landscape-the image of the countryside shrouded in mist and peppered with nimbus clouds-which quite literally defines the nation. Rather akin to Yosemite and the “Rugged West” as the defining images of America if you ask me!
I've been thinking about Disneyland a lot recently (because of the map project, although to be fair, I do spend a lot of my time thinking about Disney normally) and I realized that many of their attractions showcase the different viewpoints we've looked at in class. In Peter Pan's Flight, for example, riders "fly" above both London and Neverland--the ride provides a stunning view of both locations from above (a bird's-eye view). As mentioned in the Futurama reading, giving audiences this kind of overhead view invokes feelings of awe and power which contribute to the sublimity of the experience. Soarin' Over California (which is actually planned to become Soarin' Over the World some time soon) builds on the ideas of the Cinerama. Riders are placed in front of a massive curved screen and are literally lifted off the ground to experience a simulation of flight over many of California's different landscapes and locations. Again, the viewpoint offered by the simulation is one of a sublime nature. Recently in class we discussed the Eamses' development of a multimedia experience--"Glimpses of the USA" for the World's Fair in Moscow. A similar experience can be found inside the Disney Animation Building in California Adventure. Inside, the interior of the lobby is covered with enormous screens--similar to the image on page 229 of the reader. Different clips from movies play on these screens, accompanied by smaller projections of concept art to the sides, while iconic music from the movie plays. Like the Eamses' presentation, the different images and clips are taken in together (rather than looking at only one image or clip at a time) to showcase the movie and invoke emotion. Last year, I wouldn't have appreciated the effects of these varying viewpoints on the experience of the attractions--it's interesting to see how this class has changed the way I see the way we see.
During the lecture on the Futurama reading, I too could not help but think about how the concepts we learned about were features of many of the rides at Disneyland and California Adventure. My favorite ride of all time is Soarin' Over California! Now I have more insight as to why it elicits such a realistic experience.
I found the movie "This is Cinerama" and the lecture on Futurama to be one of the most interesting topics we have discussed. I noticed that advances in technology for entertainment purposes seem to go hand in hand with military advances. For example, earlier in the course we learned about balloon photography and how that led to remote sensing. Remote sensing, which is the photography produced by planes or satellites, was developed to advance military observation and strategy. Similarly, the effects used in "This is Cinerama" that created the "you are there" experience were used to create the "you are there" experience in a military setting. These effects were used in the Gunnery Trainer, which simulated warfare and helped train aviation pilots for warfare.
I found that “This is Cinerama” to be a real breakthrough in the history of photography and filmmaking, bringing a whole new experience to the world. "Thid is Cinerama" utilized three different screens that curved inwards to allow people to view the images with peripheral vision. I was very interested in this particular lesson in class because it allowed us to see the landscapes in a different way and made me feel that I was actually viewing the landscapes from the skies. Although, at some points in the video clips that we watched would make people feel a bit of motion sickness. This just adds to how much more realistic the visuals were in comparison to just watching a flat recorded images.
I agree. As we were learning about these concepts in class, I also though of how Disneyland and California adventure used them to evoke a feeling on awe in their guests. Soaring over California is one of my favorite rides because of that feeling. I love Disneyland, and this has definitely given me a new perspective and deeper understanding about some of their attractions.
In class we have learned that the Cold War greatly spurred on the evolution of mapping because of how technology developed during the Cold War. Technology that led to the improvements of maps were satellites. This led to more detailed maps as well as more accurate maps. Thinking about satellites and how they are able to capture images from space, I went on to thinking that the parts of the world are really connected to each other because we can see every place on the planet through modern digital maps that are easily accessible to the public. What I also found interesting about the use of imagery, landscapes, and maps are the use of cameras to depict the world to raise nationalism. For example, "This is Cinerama" depicted how beautiful the United States was and how it brought a virtual reality aspect to recorded images using 3 screens and it could let people experience the places shown as if they were really there. Nowadays, there is technology for virtual reality games and realistic 3d movies.
I also found the way that imagery was used to increase nationalism interesting. This reminds me of the California Adventure attraction Soarin' Over California. This attraction focuses aerial views on many different landmarks and in California like Yosemite, the beach, orange groves. This is yet another way to make people feel proud to be a Californian.
I thought that the progression of satellite technology was interesting. It was all invested in fear. When Americans first saw Sputnik, they couldn't help but stare in terror and wonder. This fear instilled in American politicians caused the rapid expansion of our space program, and is one of the reasons that we made it to the moon first. Satellite technology has drastically changed the modern world for the better, both from a cartographic and scientific standpoint.
This weekend I drove down to San Luis Obispo to visit my friend who goes to school at Cal Poly. Since it was a five hour drive and I had absolutely no idea how to get there, I had to use my GPS on my iPhone. As I was driving, my GPS kept me updated on my remaining mileage, traffic, and my next directions. Using my GPS made me think back to our discussion in class about the creation of the Global Positioning System and Global Information Systems. It is incredible how far GPS has come in just 22 years. In 1994, it was a brand new creation, and now people use it in their everyday life. In fact, many solely rely on GPS during their travels because they cannot read a map or they do not have a physical map. GPS is an incredible invention in remote sensing history. Since many Americans are so accustomed to it now, it was really interesting for me to learn what it must have been like for America back in 1994 when GPS and other advances in remote sensing were being created.
It is fascinating to think about how much Global Positioning Systems have evolved and grown in the past 20 years. Today I rely almost solely on the "MAPS" app on my iPhone to get me from one place to another, but just 10 years ago I would not have had the same technology at my fingertips. I remember when the first generation iPhone was released in 2007, the mapping system was significantly less user friendly than it is today. Advancements in GPS have made it highly helpful to its users and as a result society is growing more and more reliant on the system.
It is crazy to image what life would be like without GPS. Just a few weeks ago, someone gave me printed directions to get somewhere and I didn't understand what the point of them was when nearly everyone has a smartphone. I decided to use the paper map because I was driving a car that didn't have a phone charger and I didn't want to waste my phone battery. Needless to say, I got lost. These paper directions are no help once you make a wrong turn, so I quickly put the address on my phone and continued on from there. I am clearly reliant on GPS and can't imagine getting around without it.
This reminds me of the articles we read for the make up discussion from a few weeks ago--how Google expanded upon satellite imaging technology to create Google maps, and how there are different layers that go into making a single, usable map. Not only does the GPS in our phones have to be able to locate our precise location, it must also identify the best routes to take in order to get to the desired location. Through remote sensing (and human intelligence), our phones can update us with traffic information and directions in real time. It's amazing to have this amount of information so accessible to us, and how commonplace it is now. I remember growing up, we always had to print out directions to get somewhere--now we can just travel around knowing that we can access precise directions from almost anywhere.
This reminds me of when I was making my map. I mapped different lakes and forests in northern California. I wasn't able to provide an exact route to some of the locations on my map. But using google maps I was able to provide precise directions to the nearest towns. Without google maps I bet I would not be able to do this.
In class we discussed the affect that the popularization of airplanes had on American culture. It allowed people to view the American landscape from a different perspective. Additionally, it influenced American entertainment. A new form of entertainment called barnstorming was introduced during this time period. Recently I watched a movie called The Aviator which focused on the life of Howard Hughes. Howard Hughes was known for his work with designing aircraft. The Aviator also briefly featured a barnstorming scene. The popularization of the aircraft in American culture must have been very significant since many movies were created about this time in American history.
When watching the documentary "Drone" in class last week, I was able to understand on a deeper level how much power and influence Drone's have in our society, and how their presence will only grow in the future. They are one of the most advanced forms of remote sensing that our government has access to today, and even though they are a powerful military tool they also cause grave harm. I found it very interesting to see how these devices that are operated by the United States military function in foreign countries to control our enemies. When thinking about the future of the United States, the documentary stated it is a possibility that we will one day have drones flying over our big cities and monitoring our citizens movements. Even though today the United States exerts power over other countries by monitoring them via drones, I have a hard time seeing our country allowing other nations to do the same to us. Only the future will be able to tell how drones will function in the military in coming years and where they will exert influence.
I never really knew how much of an impact drones have been to the U.S., in respect to personal levels and military levels. yes, the are a powerful military weapon, but as shown in the movie, it created PTSD for the soldier who was using them. He was greatly affected by them, and he had no control over his missions and what he could or couldn't do. It is scary to see what drones can do in the future and how the U.S. will continue to incorporate them into military strategies.
Hello Megan. I agree that the seeing the documentary was a real eye-opener into the power that can be projected by the US using drones. As to your point about drones flying over the US, I believe that there is nothing legally stopping other nations from flying drones over the US. In fact, I believe that the US and Russia have a treaty that allows each other’s aircraft to fly over each other’s airspace to do surveillance. I would imagine that with other nation’s adopting drones as pointed out in the film, that such foreign drone use over US soil will be unavoidable.
In class, we discussed how one should be skeptical when a photo is used as proof. I think this is very relatable to life and technology now. Photos can be cropped and important information might be located right outside of the photographs boarders. Today, this is very prominent is photo sharing apps, such as instagram. Although these photos aren't serving as proof for anything, it is easy to relate to because people can crop their photos to include just what they want. People often portray a "perfect life" on instagram, spending endless amounts of time cropping and editing their photos. Photos we have learned about in class are used for more a a purpose then Instagram, but both have a key similarity, the way they can be altered to just include what we want the target audience to see.
In class, we discussed the movie "This is Cinerama" and I thought that this topic was very interesting. This is because technology wasn't as advanced in the past, so the fact that they were able to make this movie is very impressive. They really focused in on making the audience feel like they were actually moving. I can understand why this became a worldwide phenomenon, because so many people were intrigued with this concept of virtual experience.
During class, I particularly thought the drone movie was interesting. Never before had I seen such a dark view of the American war on terror. Although drone strikes may be extremely effective as a means to eliminate terrorist in the middle east, the American CIA fails to understand the dynamics of collateral damage, psychological endangerment of servicemen, and the example America sets forth for the rest of the world. The drone strikes, although having killed many terrorists, have taken out countless more civilians living normal lives in these unfortunate countries. Many of the servicemen in the Air Force who have worked in drone strikes have psychological PTSD that causes much trauma to them for the rest of their lives, often leading to suicide and other depression symptoms. I particularly thought that both of these reasons leave America as an example of how drone warfare needs to be regulated, and corrupts our international reputation as a fair and just nation.
Since we have started to learn about a view from above from the vantage point of space with the viewing of the film “Powers of Ten,” and with the new discussion of the use of drones for surveillance, it seems that the higher and farther zoomed out we become in our vantage point of ourselves and others we see just how insignificant we see ourselves and others from the perspective of the “grand scheme of things.” The “Powers of Ten” film showed just how large and complex the Universe is compared to what we experience on our scale every day and it can be disheartening that we have so little power over what occurs above. In the same way from the film on drones, several of the individuals on the ground have little or no control of the situation around them, and a strike could occur at any time anywhere. A similar instance of humanity witnessing just how insignificant we are in relation of events occurring around and above us that are beyond our control was when the “Family Portrait” of our Solar System was photographed by the Voyager 1 space probe. The photo was a composite image of photos of all the visible planets and the sun as seen by Voyager at the very edge of the Solar System. Surrounding the small dots of light of the planets and the sun is a tremendous amount of darkness, showing just how little we can impact our surroundings.
I thought it was interesting how there was a major shift from being in the scene to being detached from the scene. Take for example the Cinerama scene of the roller coaster scene, the director wanted to make his audience feel like they are actually riding the roller coaster. This shifted with the production of drones, these unmanned aircraft are still piloted but their pilots no longer experience what it is really like being there flying over these towns. The audience members in this case the crew had become detached from the plane and prospective. I think that an important moment when this shift happened was when the powers of ten movie was created. Because it brought kind of all of the perspectives together, we are both there and not their at the same time.
As a dual citizen of New Zealand and the United States, I have a decent amount of exposure to the definitions and usage of sublimity in both cultures. Somewhat unsurprisingly due to their shared ancestry and cultural orientations, both countries interpret their natural landscapes as spiritual, nation-defining concepts. In my opinion, New Zealand actually goes further than the United States, though this is in part due to the transculturality which characterizes European-Native relations in the country. To be more specific, New Zealanders of all stripes commonly refer to their country as Aotearoa, or “land of the long white cloud” in the native Maori tongue. Within the moniker lies a very specific landscape-the image of the countryside shrouded in mist and peppered with nimbus clouds-which quite literally defines the nation. Rather akin to Yosemite and the “Rugged West” as the defining images of America if you ask me!
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about Disneyland a lot recently (because of the map project, although to be fair, I do spend a lot of my time thinking about Disney normally) and I realized that many of their attractions showcase the different viewpoints we've looked at in class. In Peter Pan's Flight, for example, riders "fly" above both London and Neverland--the ride provides a stunning view of both locations from above (a bird's-eye view). As mentioned in the Futurama reading, giving audiences this kind of overhead view invokes feelings of awe and power which contribute to the sublimity of the experience. Soarin' Over California (which is actually planned to become Soarin' Over the World some time soon) builds on the ideas of the Cinerama. Riders are placed in front of a massive curved screen and are literally lifted off the ground to experience a simulation of flight over many of California's different landscapes and locations. Again, the viewpoint offered by the simulation is one of a sublime nature. Recently in class we discussed the Eamses' development of a multimedia experience--"Glimpses of the USA" for the World's Fair in Moscow. A similar experience can be found inside the Disney Animation Building in California Adventure. Inside, the interior of the lobby is covered with enormous screens--similar to the image on page 229 of the reader. Different clips from movies play on these screens, accompanied by smaller projections of concept art to the sides, while iconic music from the movie plays. Like the Eamses' presentation, the different images and clips are taken in together (rather than looking at only one image or clip at a time) to showcase the movie and invoke emotion. Last year, I wouldn't have appreciated the effects of these varying viewpoints on the experience of the attractions--it's interesting to see how this class has changed the way I see the way we see.
ReplyDeleteDuring the lecture on the Futurama reading, I too could not help but think about how the concepts we learned about were features of many of the rides at Disneyland and California Adventure. My favorite ride of all time is Soarin' Over California! Now I have more insight as to why it elicits such a realistic experience.
DeleteI found the movie "This is Cinerama" and the lecture on Futurama to be one of the most interesting topics we have discussed. I noticed that advances in technology for entertainment purposes seem to go hand in hand with military advances. For example, earlier in the course we learned about balloon photography and how that led to remote sensing. Remote sensing, which is the photography produced by planes or satellites, was developed to advance military observation and strategy. Similarly, the effects used in "This is Cinerama" that created the "you are there" experience were used to create the "you are there" experience in a military setting. These effects were used in the Gunnery Trainer, which simulated warfare and helped train aviation pilots for warfare.
DeleteI found that “This is Cinerama” to be a real breakthrough in the history of photography and filmmaking, bringing a whole new experience to the world. "Thid is Cinerama" utilized three different screens that curved inwards to allow people to view the images with peripheral vision. I was very interested in this particular lesson in class because it allowed us to see the landscapes in a different way and made me feel that I was actually viewing the landscapes from the skies. Although, at some points in the video clips that we watched would make people feel a bit of motion sickness. This just adds to how much more realistic the visuals were in comparison to just watching a flat recorded images.
DeleteI agree. As we were learning about these concepts in class, I also though of how Disneyland and California adventure used them to evoke a feeling on awe in their guests. Soaring over California is one of my favorite rides because of that feeling. I love Disneyland, and this has definitely given me a new perspective and deeper understanding about some of their attractions.
DeleteIn class we have learned that the Cold War greatly spurred on the evolution of mapping because of how technology developed during the Cold War. Technology that led to the improvements of maps were satellites. This led to more detailed maps as well as more accurate maps. Thinking about satellites and how they are able to capture images from space, I went on to thinking that the parts of the world are really connected to each other because we can see every place on the planet through modern digital maps that are easily accessible to the public. What I also found interesting about the use of imagery, landscapes, and maps are the use of cameras to depict the world to raise nationalism. For example, "This is Cinerama" depicted how beautiful the United States was and how it brought a virtual reality aspect to recorded images using 3 screens and it could let people experience the places shown as if they were really there. Nowadays, there is technology for virtual reality games and realistic 3d movies.
ReplyDeleteI also found the way that imagery was used to increase nationalism interesting. This reminds me of the California Adventure attraction Soarin' Over California. This attraction focuses aerial views on many different landmarks and in California like Yosemite, the beach, orange groves. This is yet another way to make people feel proud to be a Californian.
DeleteI thought that the progression of satellite technology was interesting. It was all invested in fear. When Americans first saw Sputnik, they couldn't help but stare in terror and wonder. This fear instilled in American politicians caused the rapid expansion of our space program, and is one of the reasons that we made it to the moon first. Satellite technology has drastically changed the modern world for the better, both from a cartographic and scientific standpoint.
DeleteThis weekend I drove down to San Luis Obispo to visit my friend who goes to school at Cal Poly. Since it was a five hour drive and I had absolutely no idea how to get there, I had to use my GPS on my iPhone. As I was driving, my GPS kept me updated on my remaining mileage, traffic, and my next directions. Using my GPS made me think back to our discussion in class about the creation of the Global Positioning System and Global Information Systems. It is incredible how far GPS has come in just 22 years. In 1994, it was a brand new creation, and now people use it in their everyday life. In fact, many solely rely on GPS during their travels because they cannot read a map or they do not have a physical map. GPS is an incredible invention in remote sensing history. Since many Americans are so accustomed to it now, it was really interesting for me to learn what it must have been like for America back in 1994 when GPS and other advances in remote sensing were being created.
ReplyDeleteIt is fascinating to think about how much Global Positioning Systems have evolved and grown in the past 20 years. Today I rely almost solely on the "MAPS" app on my iPhone to get me from one place to another, but just 10 years ago I would not have had the same technology at my fingertips. I remember when the first generation iPhone was released in 2007, the mapping system was significantly less user friendly than it is today. Advancements in GPS have made it highly helpful to its users and as a result society is growing more and more reliant on the system.
DeleteIt is crazy to image what life would be like without GPS. Just a few weeks ago, someone gave me printed directions to get somewhere and I didn't understand what the point of them was when nearly everyone has a smartphone. I decided to use the paper map because I was driving a car that didn't have a phone charger and I didn't want to waste my phone battery. Needless to say, I got lost. These paper directions are no help once you make a wrong turn, so I quickly put the address on my phone and continued on from there. I am clearly reliant on GPS and can't imagine getting around without it.
DeleteThis reminds me of the articles we read for the make up discussion from a few weeks ago--how Google expanded upon satellite imaging technology to create Google maps, and how there are different layers that go into making a single, usable map. Not only does the GPS in our phones have to be able to locate our precise location, it must also identify the best routes to take in order to get to the desired location. Through remote sensing (and human intelligence), our phones can update us with traffic information and directions in real time. It's amazing to have this amount of information so accessible to us, and how commonplace it is now. I remember growing up, we always had to print out directions to get somewhere--now we can just travel around knowing that we can access precise directions from almost anywhere.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of when I was making my map. I mapped different lakes and forests in northern California. I wasn't able to provide an exact route to some of the locations on my map. But using google maps I was able to provide precise directions to the nearest towns. Without google maps I bet I would not be able to do this.
DeleteIn class we discussed the affect that the popularization of airplanes had on American culture. It allowed people to view the American landscape from a different perspective. Additionally, it influenced American entertainment. A new form of entertainment called barnstorming was introduced during this time period. Recently I watched a movie called The Aviator which focused on the life of Howard Hughes. Howard Hughes was known for his work with designing aircraft. The Aviator also briefly featured a barnstorming scene. The popularization of the aircraft in American culture must have been very significant since many movies were created about this time in American history.
ReplyDeleteWhen watching the documentary "Drone" in class last week, I was able to understand on a deeper level how much power and influence Drone's have in our society, and how their presence will only grow in the future. They are one of the most advanced forms of remote sensing that our government has access to today, and even though they are a powerful military tool they also cause grave harm. I found it very interesting to see how these devices that are operated by the United States military function in foreign countries to control our enemies. When thinking about the future of the United States, the documentary stated it is a possibility that we will one day have drones flying over our big cities and monitoring our citizens movements. Even though today the United States exerts power over other countries by monitoring them via drones, I have a hard time seeing our country allowing other nations to do the same to us. Only the future will be able to tell how drones will function in the military in coming years and where they will exert influence.
ReplyDeleteI never really knew how much of an impact drones have been to the U.S., in respect to personal levels and military levels. yes, the are a powerful military weapon, but as shown in the movie, it created PTSD for the soldier who was using them. He was greatly affected by them, and he had no control over his missions and what he could or couldn't do. It is scary to see what drones can do in the future and how the U.S. will continue to incorporate them into military strategies.
DeleteHello Megan. I agree that the seeing the documentary was a real eye-opener into the power that can be projected by the US using drones. As to your point about drones flying over the US, I believe that there is nothing legally stopping other nations from flying drones over the US. In fact, I believe that the US and Russia have a treaty that allows each other’s aircraft to fly over each other’s airspace to do surveillance. I would imagine that with other nation’s adopting drones as pointed out in the film, that such foreign drone use over US soil will be unavoidable.
DeleteIn class, we discussed how one should be skeptical when a photo is used as proof. I think this is very relatable to life and technology now. Photos can be cropped and important information might be located right outside of the photographs boarders. Today, this is very prominent is photo sharing apps, such as instagram. Although these photos aren't serving as proof for anything, it is easy to relate to because people can crop their photos to include just what they want. People often portray a "perfect life" on instagram, spending endless amounts of time cropping and editing their photos. Photos we have learned about in class are used for more a a purpose then Instagram, but both have a key similarity, the way they can be altered to just include what we want the target audience to see.
ReplyDeleteIn class, we discussed the movie "This is Cinerama" and I thought that this topic was very interesting. This is because technology wasn't as advanced in the past, so the fact that they were able to make this movie is very impressive. They really focused in on making the audience feel like they were actually moving. I can understand why this became a worldwide phenomenon, because so many people were intrigued with this concept of virtual experience.
ReplyDeleteDuring class, I particularly thought the drone movie was interesting. Never before had I seen such a dark view of the American war on terror. Although drone strikes may be extremely effective as a means to eliminate terrorist in the middle east, the American CIA fails to understand the dynamics of collateral damage, psychological endangerment of servicemen, and the example America sets forth for the rest of the world. The drone strikes, although having killed many terrorists, have taken out countless more civilians living normal lives in these unfortunate countries. Many of the servicemen in the Air Force who have worked in drone strikes have psychological PTSD that causes much trauma to them for the rest of their lives, often leading to suicide and other depression symptoms. I particularly thought that both of these reasons leave America as an example of how drone warfare needs to be regulated, and corrupts our international reputation as a fair and just nation.
ReplyDeleteSince we have started to learn about a view from above from the vantage point of space with the viewing of the film “Powers of Ten,” and with the new discussion of the use of drones for surveillance, it seems that the higher and farther zoomed out we become in our vantage point of ourselves and others we see just how insignificant we see ourselves and others from the perspective of the “grand scheme of things.” The “Powers of Ten” film showed just how large and complex the Universe is compared to what we experience on our scale every day and it can be disheartening that we have so little power over what occurs above. In the same way from the film on drones, several of the individuals on the ground have little or no control of the situation around them, and a strike could occur at any time anywhere. A similar instance of humanity witnessing just how insignificant we are in relation of events occurring around and above us that are beyond our control was when the “Family Portrait” of our Solar System was photographed by the Voyager 1 space probe. The photo was a composite image of photos of all the visible planets and the sun as seen by Voyager at the very edge of the Solar System. Surrounding the small dots of light of the planets and the sun is a tremendous amount of darkness, showing just how little we can impact our surroundings.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting how there was a major shift from being in the scene to being detached from the scene. Take for example the Cinerama scene of the roller coaster scene, the director wanted to make his audience feel like they are actually riding the roller coaster. This shifted with the production of drones, these unmanned aircraft are still piloted but their pilots no longer experience what it is really like being there flying over these towns. The audience members in this case the crew had become detached from the plane and prospective. I think that an important moment when this shift happened was when the powers of ten movie was created. Because it brought kind of all of the perspectives together, we are both there and not their at the same time.
ReplyDelete